«As soon as we get back to headquarters,» Agent David said, «our top priority is setting up a dedicated, independent file on Brook Lee. His identity in the police records is almost certainly a fake. He must have used other aliases in the past, and we need to dig every single one of them up!»
«I'll get right on it the moment we land,» Agent Gillian agreed, before a disturbing thought struck her. «What if we come up empty-handed?»
Agent David fell silent for a moment. «That would be even worse. If that happens, it means either he has a powerful organization backing him, or he possesses a way to alter his physical appearance. Either way, his threat level goes through the roof.»
«So what's our move?»
«You handle the files. Once we're back, I'm going to see the boss.»
Gillian was somewhat aware of their superior's current situation. «The boss isn't in a great position right now. Does he even have enough resources left to throw at Brook Lee?»
«I don't need his resources,» David explained. «I just need access to certain information he holds. Brook Lee himself mentioned that 'professionals handle these kinds of cases.' At the boss's level, if such specialists truly exist, there's no way he wouldn't know about them.»
Gillian didn't share his optimism. «Even if these specialists exist, so what? You really think they're equipped to handle someone like Brook Lee? That cold case with the Mirror Game was probably transferred to them in the first place. When they couldn't solve it, they just quietly dumped it back on us. That says all you need to know about their so-called expertise.»
David shook his head lightly. «Never underestimate the power of the federal government. The Mirror Game was just a minor case after all; higher-ups wouldn't allocate major resources to it. It doesn't reflect the true capabilities of those specialists. Besides, we have a trump card of our own.» He pulled out the glass bottle Li Yunlong had given him and shook it in front of Gillian. «With this, we can use our own strength to fight back against the supernatural. This is our real trump card.»
«It's a pity Brook Lee only gave us two pills,» Gillian remarked.
David let out a loud laugh. «We don't need two-one is more than enough. My good friend Professor Robert is an expert in the forensics department. We just need to give him one pill as a sample, and within two days, we'll have countless more. That is the true power of the FBI!»
The two agents boarded a flight back to headquarters and immediately split up. Agent David sought out his boss and managed to secure information regarding those specialists. According to the boss, they belonged to a specialized division that often operated under the banner of the FBI 17th Division while in the field, though they had no actual institutional affiliation with the Bureau. The boss had no real authority over them either; he could only provide David with a phone number to reach them, offering no guarantee that they would be willing to help.
David refrained from contacting the specialists right away. While he didn't view them as useless hacks the way Gillian did, he certainly didn't trust them to be benevolent allies either. With no chain of command to rely on and no personal connections between them, David felt at a distinct disadvantage. He needed leverage, and he placed all his hopes on the Bitter Medicine.
Preliminary chemical analysis results came back that very day. According to Professor Robert, he had never seen anything like it. The speed of its effect was mind-boggling-it required mere contact with the skin to flood a person's entire body in an instant. Even more astonishing was that its sole function appeared to be inflicting sheer agony upon living organisms.
Professor Robert rattled off a barrage of technical jargon to illustrate the drug's peculiar nature, none of which David understood. Left with no choice, the professor suggested David experience it firsthand. Using a small scalpel, Robert carefully scraped off a tiny speck of powder from the pill and applied a paper-thin layer-no larger than a sesame seed-to the inside of David's left wrist. In the blink of an eye, David's skin absorbed the powder completely. The next second, David screamed at the absolute limit of his vocal cords, his body thrashing and contorting like a landed shrimp. Five agonizing minutes later, utterly stripped of energy and strength, he collapsed onto the floor, drenched in sweat and limp as a rag doll. Professor Robert hooked him up to an IV, and it took nearly an hour for David to finally recover his senses. That storm of anguish-a tyrannical force that violently hijacked his body and mind, radiating pure malice toward life itself-was something he never wanted to recall again. Grasping for answers, he asked Professor Robert, «What happens if we increase the dosage?»
Professor Robert looked at him as if he had completely lost his mind. «Are you insane? A dose that tiny produced such horrific results, and you want to increase it?!»
Grit his teeth, David stared straight at the professor with bloodshot eyes. «I believe he wasn't lying to me. Tell me, Professor-even if it's just a theoretical calculation-what happens if I increase the dose? What if I bind an entire pill directly against the skin on the inside of my left wrist?»
Professor Robert sighed and turned back into the laboratory. Roughly two hours later, he returned with an unbelievable answer. «This completely defies everything I know about science! We conducted a human trial where an entire pill was bound flush against the inside of the subject's left wrist. The subject's mental state entered an extraordinary condition-a state of theoretical absolute rationality!»
«Did he feel the pain?» David asked.
«No, he could feel it with absolute clarity!» Professor Robert answered. «Yet it had zero impact on his logical thinking or physical actions!»
«Did he remain in that state continuously?»
«Yes! Our test lasted ten minutes, and not a single anomaly occurred during that period. However, continuous use rapidly consumes the drug; in just ten minutes, roughly a third of the pill dissolved.»
«If the test only took ten minutes,» David questioned, «why did it take you so long to come back?»
«Because the moment we removed the pill,» Professor Robert explained, «the subject fell into a deep coma. He hasn't shown any signs of waking up since.»
«Is there anything physically wrong with him?»
«That is the most baffling part! We ran the most thorough physical examinations possible, and his body is entirely fine. He is simply unconscious. What on earth is this drug you brought me?»
David remained silent for a moment before deciding to reveal part of the truth. «The person who gave it to me called it Bitter Medicine. It inflicts pure agony on the body and mind of whoever uses it.»
Professor Robert was utterly baffled. «Why would anyone synthesize something like this? It makes no sense at all!»
«No, it has value,» David replied firmly. «It allows ordinary mortals to stand against supernatural forces.»
Following their conversation, Professor Robert poured all his resources into researching the Bitter Medicine, but his efforts soon hit a wall. On May 7th, Agent Gillian brought bad news to David: despite trying every available avenue, she had failed to uncover any past identities belonging to Li Yunlong. David's worst fears were confirmed. On May 9th, Professor Robert approached David with an update. «We finally figured out why subjects fall into a deep coma after using the Bitter Medicine. A friend of mine who works in psychology volunteered to try it. After using it for just one minute, he slipped into a coma for three full days before waking up. His personal experience solved the puzzle. While under the influence of the medicine, one's entire body and mind are overwhelmed by pain, but because the mind is locked in that strange state of absolute rationality, no adverse physical reactions occur at the time. Once the drug is removed, however, the mind snaps back to its normal state. An ordinary psyche simply cannot endure that magnitude of torment. That is why the test subjects remain in a deep coma despite having healthy bodies-their minds would rather remain dormant than ever experience that pain again.» At this point, the professor's expression turned grim. «Right before I came in, my assistant called. My friend is dead. He shot himself. He left a note on his desk: 'May God forgive me. I cannot forget that agony. May I find eternal peace in death.'»
David's face turned thunderous, a suffocating gloom hanging over him. Controlling his emotions, he asked, «Professor, can you replicate this drug?»
«I can,» Robert replied.
«Then please synthesize as much of it as you possibly can.»
On May 29th, Professor Robert entered David's office accompanied by an unfamiliar man. The professor set a box on David's desk and opened it, revealing six specialized adhesive patches inside. «Here is your Bitter Medicine. I converted it into patches-just peel off the protective film and apply it directly to your wrist. Each standard dose lasts for five minutes.»
David stood up, took the box, and slipped it into his pocket. «Thank you, Professor. And who might your friend be?»
Professor Robert cleared his throat. «Allow me to introduce Captain Wales of the FBI 17th Division.»
Captain Wales smiled warmly and extended a hand. «Agent David, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Wales from the 17th Division.»
David sluggishly offered his hand, gave Wales a quick handshake, and immediately pulled back, his attitude cool and distant. «May I ask what brings Captain Wales to my humble office?»
Professor Robert cleared his throat again, stepping in to explain. «David, you might not be aware, but the success rate for synthesizing the Bitter Medicine is extraordinarily low-under five percent. The production cost is astronomically high. Even without factoring in the losses from failed attempts, a single standard dose like the ones in your pocket costs over ten thousand dollars.»
David was taken aback. If the professor was telling the truth, the small box in his pocket represented well over a million dollars in manufacturing costs.
Captain Wales chimed in smoothly, «Professor Robert ran into a few hurdles with his research, so our division stepped in to provide assistance. In exchange, the professor shared his findings with us.»
David's expression darkened; this was a far cry from what he had originally envisioned.
Acting entirely unbothered by David's scowl, Captain Wales continued, «We are intensely interested in this miraculous drug. But what piques our interest even more, Agent David… is where exactly you managed to get your hands on it?»